1907 Cadillac Model M Coupe

This 1906 Cadillac coupe was Cadillac's first concept car. It featured a fully closed body at a time when most other cars were open buggies. The first coupe, developed in late 1905, was Cadillac founder Henry Leland's personal car named after Seminole Indian Chief Osceola. The first coupe was known as 'Osecola.'

The coachwork was built under the supervision of Fred J. Fisher on a 1906 chassis and was the first enclosed Cadillac. There are three of these coupes known to exist. This car has its original body and some of its original glass and upholstery. This car is body number 15.

The Cadillac Automobile Company of Detroit, Michigan, was founded in October 1902 by Henry Leland and Robert Faulconer. In 1905, Mr. Leland oversaw the construction of a unique, high, upright coupe similar to designs used by many electric cars of the era. It was dubbed 'Osceola' for the Seminole chief whom Leland admired, and used as his regular transportation for years. In 1933, it was shown at the Chicago World's Fair and later in various museums and auto shows.

This particular Cadillac Model M has a similar unique coupe body, and is among the earliest surviving examples of production closed coachwork on a Cadillac chassis. It wears two-tone paintwork, has a tapered 'tulip' tail, a 76-inch wheelbase chassis, and is powered by a single-cylinder engine. Past owners had attributed it as being a 1906 Model H, but its engine number is correct for a Model M, and it is recorded in Cadillac build records as having originally been fitted to a coupe, indicating it is the original engine for this automobile. This unique coupe was originally delivered to the Centaur Motor Company of Buffalo, New York. It was later owned by Beverly Hills, California, attorney and civic leader Robert J. Gottlieb. Mr. Gottlieb entrusted the car's restoration to Eric Rosenau.

This Cadillac remained with Mr. Gottlieb until the autumn of 2004 when it was sold to the Gateway Automobile Museum. In 2010, it was shown at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2023